Enhanced Cancer Drug Information Pipeline

The Canadian Cancer Action Network (CCAN), in collaboration with CADTH, are pleased to announce that they are launching an enhanced Cancer Drug Information Pipeline for Patient Groups by transitioning it to a more advanced, user-friendly format with a search engine platform.

This new search engine database was co-developed by CCAN and the CADTH pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review (pCODR) program, with input from CCAN’s pan-Canadian Health Technology Advisory Committee and team of content experts. Funded by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, with in-kind funding provided by CADTH and CCAN, the transition to a searchable online database reflects the continued commitment of the partners to address the needs of patient groups in Canada by pursuing innovative ways to best support and engage the patient community in the health technology assessment process for oncology drugs.

The Cancer Drug Information Pipeline is a centralized source of information that provides patient groups with details on the anticipated cancer drug products or indications that could enter the Canadian market. As shared by Durhane Wong-Rieger, President and CEO of the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders, “Canadians are often not included in clinical trials for rare cancer therapies, so the Cancer Drug Information Pipeline for Patient Groups may, in some instances, serve as the first source for learning about promising new therapies. We are extremely excited about this new searchable database and anticipate it will be a frequently used resource.”

Using the pipeline can give patient groups information on which drugs may potentially be submitted for review in the near future, and the pipeline can thereby aim to provide longer lead times to make a submission to the pCODR program. As shared by Robin Markowitz, CEO of Lymphoma Canada. “The enhanced pipeline addresses the need expressed by patient groups to have more notification to develop high-quality submissions. In the rapidly changing landscape of cancer therapies, the enhanced pipeline’s myriad pathways, well-organized data, and monthly updates will greatly aid patient groups with the lead time to provide patient values in the health technology assessment process.”

Please note that the Cancer Drug Information Pipeline is updated monthly. To ensure as many patient groups as possible know that this pipeline is available on the CCAN and CADTH websites.